Demographic Shifts And Inadequate Cost Reimbursements Spell Trouble For Rural Hospitals
The system of small hospitals that provides emergency and other health care to millions of rural Texans is in trouble. As many as 18 rural hospitals in Texas have closed since 2013, and many more may be on the verge. These closures can devastate local economies and leave some of the most vulnerable Texans with few health care options.
John Henderson heads the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, or TORCH. In late June, he told state lawmakers about a hospital system in crisis.
“We’re actually number one in a category you don’t want to lead and have more than twice as many closures as the number two state, Tennessee, has had, eight in the same time frame,” Henderson said.
Henderson said that apart from the 18 recent hospital closures in Texas, he knows of three where closure is imminent, three in the process of declaring bankruptcy and up to 20 more with highly vulnerable financial situations.
Read more: http://www.tpr.org/post/demographic-shifts-and-inadequate-cost-reimbursements-spell-trouble-rural-hospitals
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